Mitzie’s Story: From Gang to Beauty Salon

Because of her extremely poor background, Mitzie was enticed to join a gang when she was a young teen with the thought that she could make a little money. She was eventually arrested for extortion and sent to the juvenile detention center for girls.

“When I was brought to the Sacred Heart Center, I realized I made many bad decisions in my life. It was time for me to change,” Mitzie says. “I thank Miriam and Karla of Orphan Helpers who were always there to support me. They gave me encouragement and told me that God has extraordinary plans for my life. They said my life story could be totally changed if I worked at it. I believed in that word, and that’s why I’m here today with many dreams.”

Mitzie was released from the juvenile detention center in October 2017. At 18, she has now completed her high school degree and wants to attend university to study nutrition.

“I’m confident I’m going to achieve my dreams, even though there are still financial obstacles for me,” she says. “Fortunately, Orphan Helpers has given me an opportunity to start earning money by starting a beauty salon. This has me very hopeful. Through this work and experience, better things will come.”